- The influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un called the Seoul authorities “treacherous” the joint military exercise between South Korea and the United States.
- Kim Yo-jung’s latest remarks were made when the Korean peninsula was unexpectedly thawed, and it was triggered by a series of personal letters between her brother and South Korean President Moon Jae-in.
- Kim’s statement came as the U.S. and South Korean troops began their initial training on Tuesday to prepare for the annual summer exercise next week.
On Tuesday, the influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un called the Seoul authorities “treacherous” the joint military exercise between South Korea and the United States, warning the two allies that they would face greater security threats as a result.
Kim Yo-jung’s latest remarks were made when the Korean peninsula was unexpectedly thawed, and it was triggered by a series of personal letters between her brother and South Korean President Moon Jae-in.
The two countries resumed cross-border communications that had been interrupted more than a year ago last month, announcing that the leaders of the two countries have agreed to work on improving relations.
But Kim Yo-jung, an important adviser to her brother, said that South Korea, which held a “dangerous” joint military exercise with Washington this month, is “dangerous”, and North Korea has long regarded this as a preview of an invasion.
She said in a statement issued by the official Korean Central News Agency in Pyongyang:
I take this opportunity to express my deep regret for the South Korean authorities’ perfidy.
Kim’s statement came as the U.S. and South Korean troops began preliminary training on Tuesday to prepare for the annual summer exercises next week.
She said that through the exercise, Seoul and Washington “will definitely face greater security threats” and North Korea will strengthen its defense and preemptive strike capabilities.
Seoul and Washington are treaty allies, and the United States has stationed approximately 28,500 soldiers in the south to defend against its nuclear-weapon neighbors.
Previously, they significantly reduced their annual joint military exercises to facilitate nuclear negotiations with Pyongyang.
The first summit between North Korea and the incumbent US president held in Singapore in June 2018 is believed to be facilitated by the dovish moon in the south.
But after the second summit between Kim Jong Un and then US President Donald Trump in Hanoi broke down, North Korea basically severed ties with Seoul, leading to a standstill in nuclear negotiations.
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